Cable distribution and management system

• US 7,665,255 B2
• Filed: 06/13/2005
• Issued: 02/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Russ Bassett Corporation
• Original Assignee: Russ Bassett Corporation
• Inventors: Cramer, Michael, Johnson, Sasha, Dressendorfer, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Canfield; Robert J
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cajilig; Christine T
• Application Number:
  US11/151,859
• Publication Number:
  US 20060277833A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,716 Days
• Field of Search: 522/207, 522/39, 52/361, 52 344- 346, 108/50.02, 108/50.01, 403/254, 211/192, 174/495, 174/497, 174/498, 439/215
• US Class Current: 52/220.7
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/0456 Ladders or other supports
• CPC Class Codes: H02G 3/38 the cables or lines being installed in preestablished conduits or ducts

Abstract

A cable management and distribution system comprises posts and beams. The posts may be one of several heights to accommodate various office layouts. The beams run between the posts and a cable entry slot runs the length of each beam to allow cable entry at any point along the beam. The beams further provide space for running and storing cables and fixed power outlets may be attached to the beam interior for plugging power cords. A lift off cap may be positioned over the beam, or a bridge may be positioned above the beam to provide a separate path for data cables. The bridge includes an upper face with a mounting surface for a privacy panel or the like, and accepts plain vertical side covers, or vertical side covers with accessory tracks. The posts include lower mounting points and the beams include upper mounting points for modesty panels.

Claims

1. A cable management and distribution system comprising:

at least two vertical posts;

at least one beam having a flat horizontal base and fixed vertical sides extending up from the base and an open top, one of the at least one beam running horizontally between adjacent pairs of the posts and supported by the posts;

at least one beam top edge defining a highest portion of a corresponding side of the at least one beam;

a power cable passageway and storage area in the at least one beam extending the length of the at least one beam and being accessible through the open top of the at least one beam and containing power cables and at least one power outlet residing inside the at least one beam between the fixed vertical sides and accessible through the open top of the at least one beam;

an open bottom horizontally residing bridge spaced vertically apart directly above the at least one beam and running horizontally and parallel to the at least one beam and containing a data cable passageway spaced vertically apart above the power cable passageway and above the beam top edge and having at least one independently opening and vertically residing side cover running the length of the bridge to and opening to allow access to both the power cable passageway and the data cable passageway; and

a cable entry slot defining a vertical gap remaining open at all times between and defined by the at least one beam top edge and the bottom of the vertically residing side cover of the bridge when the vertically residing side cover is in a vertical closed position, the cable entry slot running along the at least one beam, the cable entry slot configured to provide for entry from outside the cable management and distribution system of cables into the power cable passageway and storage area and into the data cable passageway, while the at least one side cover is closed, wherein the cable entry slot is even with or just above a top surface of a desk residing against the beam.

2. The cable management and distribution system of claim 1, wherein the bridge includes an upper face with a mounting surface configured for supporting accessories.

3. The cable management and distribution system of claim 1, wherein the data cable passageway comprises a basket which includes horizontally spaced apart closed bottom vertical loops residing over the power cable passageway for providing the data cable passageway vertically spaced apart from the power cable passageway.

4. The cable management and distribution system of claim 3, wherein the basket includes a hand portion along at least one top edge of the basket and the hand portion engages a ledge attached to the bridge and the hand may be disengaged from the ledge to release and reposition the basket to access cables inside the basket.

5. The cable management and distribution system of claim 3, wherein a gap is present between the bottom of the basket and at least one of the beam top edges sufficient to allow a hand to reach into the beam to reach cables or outlets in the power cable passageway and the storage area.

6. The cable management and distribution system of claim 1, wherein the side covers comprise at least one selected from the group consisting of plain vertical covers and vertical covers with accessory tracks.

7. The cable management and distribution system of claim 1, wherein:

the at least one beam top edge comprises two beam top edges residing at the same height and defining highest portions of both sides of the at least one beam;

the at least one side cover comprises two side covers residing at the same height, one on each side of the bridge; and

the cable entry slot comprises two cable entry slots on opposite sides of the at least one beam and defined by vertical gaps between the top edges of the at least one beam and lower edges of the side covers when the side covers are closed.

8. The cable management and distribution system of claim 7, wherein the side covers comprise lift-off side covers hanging from an upper portion of the bridge.

9. The cable management and distribution system of claim 8, wherein the side covers include hooked portions at tops of the side covers and the bridge includes top outside edges configured to cooperate with the hooked portions to hang the side covers from the bridge.

10. The cable management and distribution system of claim 1, wherein the bridge is attached to the posts proximal to tops of the posts and the beam is attached to the posts just below the bridge.

16. The cable management and distribution system of claim 1, wherein the beam is a single beam attached to the posts just below the bridge and the space below the single beam between the posts and to the floor is free of any structure of the cable management and distribution system.

11. A cable management and distribution system comprising:

a first vertical post and a second vertical post;

at least one horizontal beam running between the posts and supported by the posts, the beam having a “

U”

shaped cross-section and having solid sides and bottom and an open top;

a power cable passageway and storage area in the at least one beam extending the length of the at least one beam and being accessible through the open top of the at least one beam and containing power cables and at least one power outlet;

two beam top edges defining highest portions of each corresponding side of the at least one beam;

a bridge residing vertically spaced apart above the two beam top edges of at least one of the at least one beams and covering the power cable passageway and containing a data cable passageway spaced vertically apart above the power cable passageway and having at least one independently opening vertically residing side cover running the length of the bridge and opening to allow access to both the power cable passageway and the data cable passageway; and

at least one cable entry slot defining a vertical gap, the cable entry slot running substantially the beam length and residing between and defined by the beam top edges and the bottom of the vertically residing side cover of the bridge when the vertically residing side cover is in a vertical closed position, the cable entry slot configured to provide for entry from outside the cable management and distribution system of cables into the power cable passageway and storage area and into the data cable passageway, while the at least one side cover is closed.

12. The cable management and distribution system of claim 11, wherein:

the cable management and distribution system is a free standing cable management and distribution system; and

the horizontal beam is a first horizontal beam, and further including;

a third vertical post, wherein the posts have a square horizontal cross-section; and

a second horizontal beam running between the third vertical post and one of the first vertical post and the second vertical post and supported by the posts, wherein the second horizontal beam is turned with respect to the first horizontal beam to provide a stable free standing cable management and distribution system supported by the posts with no additional support from feet.

13. The cable management and distribution system of claim 11, wherein the at least one independently opening vertically residing side cover comprises two lift-off side covers residing on opposite sides of the bridge, removable to provide hand access to the cable passageway and storage area and to the second cable passageway.

14. The cable management and distribution system of claim 13, wherein the two lift-off side covers are single piece solid lift-off side covers.

15. The cable management and distribution system of claim 11, wherein removing the side cover allows access to both the power cable passageway and the data cable passageway between an upper portion of the bridge and the top edge of the beam and such access is the only access to both the power cable passageway and the data cable passageway.

17. A work area comprising:

free standing furniture having a work surface;

equipment residing on the work surface, the equipment selected from the group consisting of a computer, a printer, a monitor, a keyboard, and a mouse;

cables connected to the equipment;

a free standing cable management and distribution system comprising;

a first vertically standing post;

a second vertically standing post;

a third vertically standing post;

a first beam having a “

U”

shaped cross-section and open top and running horizontally between the first post and the second post and supported by the first post and the second post;

a second beam having a “

U”

shaped cross-section and open top and running horizontally between the second post and the third post and supported by the second post and the third post;

each beam having two beam top edges defining highest portions of each corresponding side of each beam the two beam top edges have a height selected from even with or just above the work surface adjacent to the beam;

each beam defining a power cable passageway and storage area extending the length of the beams and accessible through the open tops;

a horizontally residing bridge covering at least one of the power cable passageways and residing vertically spaced apart above the two beam top edges of at least one of the two beams and containing a data cable passageway spaced vertically apart above the at least one of the power cable passageways and having at least one independently opening vertically residing side cover running the length of the bridge and opening to allow access to both the power cable passageway and the data cable passageway; and

cable entry slots defining a vertical gap between and defined by the beam top edges and the bottom of the vertically residing side cover of the bridge, when the vertically residing side cover is in a vertical closed position, the cable entry slot configured to provide for entry from outside the cable management and distribution system of the cables into the power cable passageway and storage area and into the data cable passageway, while the at least one side cover is closed.

18. The work area of claim 17, wherein:

the vertically standing posts are not in a straight line and thereby provide a stable three point support to the free standing cable management and distribution system by the vertically standing posts only with no addition support from feet attached to the posts; and

the free standing cable management and distribution system does not extend into the work area beyond the footprint of the posts and beams, thereby eliminating feet which obstruct the positioning of the furniture.